Piston



May ll, 1937. J. c. YOUNG I 2,080,297

PISTON Filed Aug. 8, 1936 J5/zn CI Youn/cg,"

Patented May 1l, 1937 UNITED# STATES' PISTON John C. Young, Pittsburgh, Pa.

Application 'August 8,

3 Claims.

My present invention relates generally to pistons for internalA combustion engines as commonly equipped with expansible, elastic split rings, and my primary object4 is the provision of a piston having inelastic or substantially inelastic rings in segmental sections operating under normal spring pressure and augmented by apressure, bearing a denite relation to the pressure within the combustion chamber, during' the power stroke of the piston. A further object in a general wayisthe provithe springs employed are for the purpose of merely positioning the inelastic lor substantially inelastic ring segments against the cylindery wall.

More particularly, it is an object of my invention to defeat the pumping of oil byvthe piston rings, and to do this with a lesser number of rings than commonly employed, -while at the same time eliminating the present danger of failure of proper contact of the rings with the cylinder wall due to loss of ring elasticity under to which they vare subjected.

The invention .is preferably carried out in a manner which will now lhe described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawing, forming a part of this speciiicatiomand in which, Figure l is a vertical sectional View through `a piston constructed and equipped according to my invention, and

Mgure 2 is a horizontal sectional view talrenV therethrough substantially on line 2-2 of Figure l.

Referring now to these figures, the invention contemplates a piston ill for internal combustion engines whose cylindrical wall lll is formed with equidistantly, circumferentlally spaced inwardly projecting ribsv li of like construction, each rib having upper and'lower chambersl l2 and it of cylindrical: shape, each chamber openingfat its outer end for its full diameter through the outer surface of the piston-wall.

The outer surfaceV of the formed with upper'and lower grooves |14 and l5 of approximately the same width as the diameters; of thecha'rnbersm and gt3, vthe upperjgrooveit A of the upper cham- 'l bers B2 Aand -the lower groove i5 being in the being in thehorizontalplane' plane chtite lower chambers grooves iii and it, as well it and i? which respectivelyintert the same, are substantially Wider in practice in a direction axially of the piston than the usual elastic exit.` Moreover, these the excessive heat piston wall i@ is as the ring segments 193s, sensi No. 94,991 (ol. 309-31) pansible rings and their in other ways, I provide for a much greaterieffective length of life of the ring structure than is ordinarily the case.

The ringl segments but thicker than the usual expansiblerings and have their adjacent ends lap jointed as seen at i8, each segment being centered opposite one ofthe chambers l2, I3l and provided at this point with an inwardly projecting guide rod or stem I9. Each chamber I2, I3 is closed at its inner end by a wall 20 which, in the proposed construction, is a part of the inner wall of the vrespective rib,and has a bearing sleeve 2l projecting therefrom axially into the respectivel i chamber i2, i3 in spaced relation to the chamber wall. The opening of' each sleeve is aligned with a bearing aperture through its respective wall 20), so that its respectivel ring segment rod or stem t9 may thus project inwardly beyond theV 20 respective rib l i to the space within the piston wall it for a purpose which will presently appear. Y

The annular space between each bearing sleeve 2l and the wall of its'chamber i2, it aords a 25 guide channel for the reception of a coil spring 22 which, at its inner end, abuts the respective wall 2t and at its outer end engages the respective ring segment it, il to hold the latter evenly and under a uniform normal pressure against a cylinder wall in use.

lAs'seen in Iilgiu'e `l, the top 23 of theplston has its outerupper surface provided -with a coaxial, lpreierably cylindrical chamber 26 to receive a pressure-actuated plate 25 of conformable shape, and said piston top alsoha-s an opening 25 therethrough axially thereof and of the chamber 2t. A pin 2l slidably interts opening 26-A and l connects the pressure plate 25 with a cone-shaped ring expander 2t within the piston belowits top 23, having portions of its'cone surface above and below thering grooves' M, l5 to receive thereagainst the conformably scarfed inner ends' of the several rods or stems i9 of the ring segments lo, il.

The parts are so proportioned that in use when the ring segments i6, lll are in close contact with a cylinder wall under uniform normal tension of springs 22 the cone 2t is held by the inner ends l of rods? or,v stems i9 so that the pressure plate 50 25 is.'substarrtially above the basep of itsghamber 2t. When, however, an explosion 4occurs above the piston, its pressure, directly acting .against plate 25, forces the latter and consequently the cone 2t downwardly and in such 55 grooves, and in this, as

I6 and l1 are not only wider L', l

3`5 coaxial therewith andan axial ,the pressure in the 'adverse effect by the 2 Y downward movement the latter acts to expand, by pressure, the rings by reasonl of its direct pressure outwardly against' thecontacting inner 'ends of the rods or stems I9, thus augmenting the pressure contact of the ring segments I6, l1- against the cylinder wall in direct proportion to combustion chamber.

In this way, the only springs utilized, namely, springs 22, can be made of a type to promote uniform effect and are located so as to minimize heat -of combustion, and the pressure of the solid inelastic rings is regulated so as to have the highest efliciency during the power stroke of ciency is needed, the pressure tapering oi be'- tween such power strokes to provide for effectivev lubrication without oil pumping or unnecessary loss thereof.

While the inwardly projecting stems or rods i9 have been spoken of previously as features with which the ring segments are provided, it is not to be understood by this that they '(thestems) are necessarily'integral parts-of the ring segments. 1E is quite possible and wen within the invention to make the stems or rods I9 as separate parts having their outer ends so engaging the ring segments as to prevent circumferential' movements of the latter. For example, the outer. ends o f the rods or stems may extend into conformable recesses ofthe ring segments as shown at 19a in Figure 1.

What is claimed is: s

1. A piston having in its top surface a chamber opening through its top wall, a pressure plate for movement into said chamber by the force of an explosion, a cone- 'necting said plate the piston when such eiiispective ring segment.

panding member in the shapedexpander within the piston, a pin conhaving ring grooves a 4d circumferentially spaced radial chambers intersecting said grooves, rings in segmental sections having overlapping ends in the grooves, each ring section being centered opposite one of said chambers and having a central stem projecting inwardly through its chamber and into contact with said expander, and a Aspring housed in each chamber and engaging the respective ring section for placing the same under normal uniform tension. l

2; A piston having an axially movable pressure actuated expander and having its wall provided with external annular grooves and internal radial ribs forming f. chambers opening outwardly through said grooves, a tubular guide member in each chamber, rings v in said grooves in segmental sections, each section having a central stem projecting inwardly through one of said guide members and into contact with said expander, and'a coil spring around each guide member and bearing outwardly against its re- 3. A piston having ring grooves, inelastic rings in said grooves in segmental sections, each sec-v tion `having an inwardly radially projecting stem, a spring housed in the piston and engaging each ring section for applying normal tension thereto, and an axially-movable,

piston simultaneously engaging said stems for applying pressure-actuated 'expansivetension to the ring segments.

JOHN c. YOUNG.

pressure-actuated exand said expander and extendy ing through said opening, the wall of the piston 

